Tag Archives: Auto Trader

AutoTrader.co.uk now attracts around eleven million unique users a month, making it not just the UK’s largest automotive classified website, with an 87% share of page views, but also one of the most visited of all websites in the UK. Not bad, but we’re not stopping there.

Tim Jones, our CIO, gives an overview of what it’s like to work at Trader Media Group. We are a fast-paced business at the forefront of agile development with ambitious and exciting expansion plans ahead.

We’re always investing in new technology and naturally, new Developers (Graduate, Professional, Senior & Principal), Test Analysts, UX Developers, Business Analysts, Project Managers, Infrastructure and Operations Engineers…so if you think you can help take our operations to the next level, check out our Technology Careers Website

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In advance of the imminent Jubilee celebrations, it appears that Brits are just as patriotic about their cars as Queen Elizabeth II herself.

New research from Auto Trader, reveals that despite the country being in the heart of a double-dip recession, over two thirds (68%) of drivers intend to buy a car in the next six months – and of these, 58% plan to buy British.

Britain’s strong heritage in motoring and car manufacturing is recognised by over two thirds (69%) of drivers, and whilst the majority of British car manufacturers are now owned by overseas companies, we are still loyal to historically British car brands and vehicles made on our own turf.

Almost a third (29%) of drivers own a British-made car[i], and national pride is a major deciding factor for those who plan to make their next purchase a British motor. Half (50%) would do so to bolster the economy, with more than a third (35%) citing supporting our country’s heritage as their motivation for buying British. And our nation’s car brands are also appealing in their own right – over a third (34%) consider British motors to be stylish.

The findings also revealed that the Jaguar E-type, no stranger to the top spot of car lists, was voted the most iconic British model, followed by the Mini Cooper (21%), Aston Martin DB5 (12%) and Rolls Royce Phantom (9%).

And when it comes to the most iconic brands this country has produced, luxury marques are the most popular, with Rolls Royce (27%) – one of the Royal Family’s favoured manufacturers – topping the list followed by Aston Martin (23%) and Jaguar (16%).

The purchasing loyalty that Brits have towards our own motors also extends to other goods of British origin. Over four in ten (44%) intend to buy British groceries in the next six months and almost a third (30%) will spend on clothing made on British soil.

Jon Quirk, Auto Trader’s Editor-in-Chief, said:

“There’s definitely a sense of national pride in the air at the moment as people all around the country are gearing up for the Jubilee celebrations, and it’s great to see this patriotism reflected when it comes to our car-buying decisions. We should be proud of our country’s motoring heritage and it’s not surprising that Brits are still loyal to home-grown brands – we’ve produced some of the most iconic and head-turning motors for decades.”

[i] Defined as a brand originating from Britain, or a British brand still manufactured in some part in this country.

You’ll get to see Europe’s only “Nitro Shootout” with 300mph Top Fuel Dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars going head to head. Piloted by Europe’s top Drag Racing talent, these 8000bhp machines accelerate from 0-100mph in less than 1 second! Add in over 20 more race classes inc 200mph Drag Bikes, the Wheelie Car and truck, a Rocket Bike, and the famous 270mph Jet Car – the kids won’t want to go home!

Off-track action is equally as exciting with loads of entertainment aimed squarely at families looking for a great day out. Attractions include car crushing Monster Trucks, Freestyle Motocross, Live Action Arena stunts and displays, funfair rides, kid’s sideshows plus full catering and bar facilities. Easter Monday is Monster Truck Madness day with 4 trucks in the crush-off!

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Kids under 16 go FREE – maximum 3 per adult. Santa Pod Raceway can be found near Northampton J14 or 15 M1. For more info and to buy your tickets now, visit www.santapod.co.uk

We love Christmas at Auto Trader and when we’re in the festive spirit we conjure up competitions that would make a reformed Scrooge look stingy.

Today we launched our brand new competition, Auto’s Christmas Crackers, an interactive treasure hunt to win a host of mystery prizes. We’ll be sharing two cryptic clues on our Facebook page and Twitter feed as well as our brand new Google + page every day, to guide our online community to the Christmas crackers hidden throughout the Auto Trader website. Every cracker the players find will increase their chances of winning anything from cash rewards to a brand new Amazon Kindle.
The competition encourages fans to work together to solve the clues, encouraging community interaction, problem sharing and solving. The campaign enables participants to engage with Auto Trader’s search functionality and broadens Auto Trader’s appeal to new audiences through publishing exciting content, relevant even to those not yet looking to buy a new car.
Ian MacDonald, Head of Consumer Marketing at Auto Trader said: “Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter offer a wealth of benefits to marketers, one of which is their real-time nature. We have seen great success from leveraging this to delight UK consumers with engaging, interactive, real-time treasure hunts which also encourage users to sample how easy our site is to use, when searching for a new or used car.”

Auto’s Christmas Crackers follows on from last year’s social media campaign, ‘Golden Keys’, which saw over 1.6 million searches carried out on the site to hunt down the winning keys. The competition is running every day from the 13th December until the 22nd December.

A Maybach 57 previously owned by Theo Paphitis of Dragon’s Den fame is currently for sale on Auto Trader for £130,000.

The stationery business guru and TV star took delivery of the Maybach 57 back in 2007 and was happy to explain why the ultimate high-end limousine was his car of choice. Theo liked to use the cabin as his “chill out zone” when travelling the length and breadth of the country on business.

His attachment to the luxury German manufacturer has continued ever since. Recently he invested in a Maybach 62 and Theo’s no shrinking violet as he opted for the latest in blinged-out customisation with full on chrome body and personalised RYM4N number plate!

And he’s not alone, the brand is famous for attracting such esteemed owners as Madonna, Puff Daddy and Jay Z.

Paphitis’ Maybach 57 is being sold by Marlow Cars, a prestige, sports and luxury car specialist based in Buckinghamshire. Luke Bangs from Marlow Cars told Auto Trader: “The Maybach truly is the ultimate in understated luxury, recognised by only those who know!”

Check out Marlow Cars’ YouTube channel for a closer look at the Dragon’s luxury car and more, or follow them on Facebook

Auto Trader is no longer just the number one destination for used cars. With the launch of our New Cars website, it’s now easier than ever to find everything you need to buy a brand new car, from expert and owner reviews to ordering brochures and booking a test drive – all in the one place!

You can easily search by body type, make, model and price or use the galleries and new menus to find a car that suits your needs. Say you’re interested in the new BMW we now have new make/model pages where you’ll find all the latest models with links to expert reviews and owner ratings. Then you just select the car you’re interested in, e.g. the new BMW 3 Series and there you’ll find everything from the MPG and CO2 emissions to the available trim packages and specifications.

You can also compare up to four different cars at a time, side by side, which allows you to easily compare value and available packages. Then it’s up to you to chose a local dealer to get more information and brook a test drive.

Our new TV advert is due to hit your television screens tonight but if you miss it, check it out below and discover the greatest new car showroom in the www!

A well written ad with good quality photos really sell a car, so it’s important to be as descriptive as possible and get some good shots of your car looking its best. But when it comes to putting together an ad, some sellers can get more creative than others…how about creating a mini feature film – the car being the star of the show of course.!

Well that’s exactly what one seller on Auto Trader has done. It’s not just any car, it’s a 1985 Porsche 911 and the seller says: “I am reluctant to sell my beautiful Porsche 911 Supersport Targa as I no longer have the time or energy to cope with the pressures of being in the public eye of admirers, gorgeous women constantly falling at my feet, always having to arrive in style to decadent fetish parties, long drives to classic motor shows and trying to find a parking space at Les Trois Garcons’. I’m now looking for the right candidate to hand down this hedonist roof down boxer engined lifestyle so that I may retire and have a long break in Nepal.”

It’s a tough life but someone’s got to do it. Check out the equally tongue-in-cheek video, promoting the Porsche’s wares, entitled, “Get a life. Buy my Porsche!” Brilliant!

Selling a car privately can be a daunting process, but it can be well worth the effort and there are plenty of tips on how to sell a car on the Auto Trader website.

The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is one of the UK’s most exciting motor racing spectacles, with grids of mouth-watering sportscars such as the Mercedes SLS, Ferrari 458 and Audi R8.

On May 14 and 15, Britain’s premier endurance racing championship rumbles into Snetterton for the second round of 2011 and you could be there to see a field of flame-spitting musclecars use all their 500bhp.

We’re giving away a pair of weekend tickets including the full VIP treatment from Avon Tyres; with free food and drink in the official championship hospitality unit on Sunday, and the chance to walk the grid before the British GT Championship race.

You’ll also get to see Formula 1 stars of the future battle it out in the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, with drivers running wheel-to-wheel in what is acknowledged as the world’s toughest domestic single-seater championship.

Famous names including Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Jenson Button and Mark Webber all raced in the series on their way to the top of motorsport’s global ladder.

To be in with a chance of winning this amazing prize, simply email socialnetwork@autotrader.co.ukwith your contact details and the answer to the following question:
Which driver has not competed in British F3?

a) Ayrton Senna

b) Mark Webber

c) Fernando Alonso

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Competition closes midday Friday 15th April 2011, and if you’re not our lucky winner you can book tickets for this event at www.motorsportvision.co.uk or call 0843 453 9000. Weekend tickets cost as little as £21 if booked in advance and children aged 12 and under get in free.

Just two weeks after his co-presenter’s Lamborghini Gallardo found its way on to Auto Trader, Richard Hammond’s extremely rare Morgan AeroMax is now up for sale too.

Hammond’s 2008 Morgan AeroMax is one of only 100 ever made and he has made no secret of his enthusiasm for the car on Top Gear.

The pint-sized presenter, explained exactly why he holds the AeroMax in such great esteem on the Top Gear blog back in 2008, just after he splashed out on the rare sports car.

“Hand-built by craftsmen, finished in a steely grey that shows off every curve and sweep of that outrageous shape, drawn by young Matt Humphries and built by Morgan in smoothly sculpted aluminium – it’s beautiful”

The car is being sold by Mole Valley Cars, a sports, prestige and Morgan specialist, based in the South-East. Director John Heywood told the Small World News Service: “It’s very rare, very fast and sounds like a spitfire – and it comes with one previous infamous owner!”

To celebrate the many different perspectives that every driver brings to Auto Trader’s owner reviews, today we’d like to welcome our first ever guest blogger to provide a designer’s-eye-view on the Peugeot 207.

Kristan Fletcher runs his own design company in the North West called Passion8 About Design and indeed he is passionate about many things in life – including a particular penchant for motorbikes. So you can imagine his concern when his wife suggested taking their Peugeot 207 convertible on a family trip to Wales. We won’t spoil it, we’ll let Kristan (who’s 6ft 5) tell you how he got on.

“What the wife wants…

PEUGEOT 207 1.6 16V GT 2dr (Review date: 10th March ’11)

“You will fit in it!” the wife said when I dared to question whether it was a suitable car for a family trip to Wales. Being 6ft 5″ (and wanting a quiet life) I certainly tried to squeeze in (to the muffled screams of children as I attempted to adjust the seat, only to crush their legs in what little space there is at the back) but to be honest it wasn’t bought as a family car for long journeys… but it is what the wife wanted!

She fell in love with it as soon as she saw it… it certainly looks distinctive and stylish, just right for an image conscious district nurse! After owning a number of rag-tops in the past this was our first experience of a folding hard-top and its brilliant, once you remove the woman clutter from the boot and pull the safety screen into place!

Inside the build quality is not too bad, although I’m sure over time things will start to rattle, squeak and drop off. The seats are comfortable but not made for tall people. With the drivers seat at its lowest and furthest back its all very cosy. With the roof down its fine… although the screen rake makes getting in and out a challenge.

On the road it drives ok, not as sporty as it looks and you really have to rev the engine hard to get it to respond. It handles… well-ish. Steering is very vague (probably doesn’t help that the wife never checks the tyre pressures) and seems to take on a mind of its own over bumps. With so much play in the wheel you’re never sure what the wheels are doing.

But none of this matters to the wife. As long as she has ‘Take That’ in the CD player, the roof down and the wind in her hair she’s happy with this car.”

Overall score: 2.8 out of 5

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So the 207 cc might not be the sportiest of convertibles but its good looks gives it instant appeal. When we reviewed it back in 2008 we marked it slightly more generously than Kristan, giving it 3.8 out of 5.

Though he likes motorbikes, cars and (although he’s based in Manchester) Liverpool FC – design is what Kristin does best. So if you’d like to see a selection of his work check out Kristan’s blog and you can follow him on Twitter: @KristanFletcher.

If you enjoyed reading Kristan’s review and want to contribute one of your own, review your car today and you could be in with a chance of winning £500.